Demystifying Gravity: Simple Pendulum Experiment

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Are you curious about the mysterious force that keeps us grounded? Join us in "Demystifying Gravity: Simple Pendulum Experiment," where we unravel the secrets of this fundamental force, the acceleration due to gravity.

In this eye-opening video, we'll show you how a straightforward experiment involving a simple pendulum can reveal the true nature of gravity. Learn how to measure the acceleration due to gravity by observing the length and period of a pendulum's swing. We'll guide you through the process, ensuring accuracy by minimizing errors in timing and exploring factors like friction and the center of mass of the pendulum bob.

But that's not all – we'll delve into the fascinating world of gravitational variation. Discover why we consider gravity to be constant near the Earth's surface, where it's approximately 9.8 m/s². We'll explain how this value can be derived from the mass and radius of our planet or measured through experimentation. You'll also find out why gravity isn't uniform across the Earth's surface due to its unique shape and varying density.

To add an exciting twist, we'll compare the acceleration due to gravity on Earth with that of other celestial bodies in our solar system. Get ready for an out-of-this-world journey as we uncover the weight and force differences on objects on various planets.

Prepare to have your questions about gravity answered and your understanding of this fundamental force expanded. Join us in "Demystifying Gravity: Simple Pendulum Experiment" to embark on an enlightening adventure into the realm of physics. Don't miss out – click to watch now!

Measuring the acceleration due to gravity
A simple pendulum can be used to measure the acceleration due to gravity. Measure the length and period of a simple pendulum and calculate the acceleration due to gravity. You should use a small displacement because this equation can only be accurate for a swing of less than 10°. By timing for ten complete oscillations and dividing by ten, errors in timing the period can be minimised. Doing this several times and taking the average will further minimise errors. Friction in the pendulum and the difficulty of measuring the centre of mass of the bob may also cause small errors in your result.
Because g decreases only slightly with height (g is only 1% smaller at 30 km above the surface), we generally consider g to be a constant near the Earth’s surface. On the surface of the Earth, g 9.8 m s-2. This value can be calculated from the mass and radius of the planet or can be measured experimentally. Measurements show the value of g changes slightly at different points on the surface. This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere and the density of the Earth is not constant. Hence g will be less near large ocean / bodies than near dense rocky areas of the crust. g will also vary at different altitudes.
The weight / force on an object on different planets
The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of some objects in our solar system is compared to the value of g on the Earth.

0:00 Introduction
0:41 Pendulum Periods
1:35 Finding a Pendulum's Gravitational Acceleration
2:24 Angle of a Pendulum
3:11 Taking an Average
4:26 Results and Analysis
6:00 Error in the Experiment
7:59 Question 1
9:00 Question 2
12:33 Question 4
13:54 Questions

[Gabby-dumc]

Great video :) very complete in discussing everything! Wish I saw this before when i was younger and really needed it at the time. Now i know! ^_^

[jackbalitok]

The hand still moves, so that's an error, the pendulum should be fastened to a static object.

[deepfractal]

This doesn't measure gravity at all